Chapter 9

The two walked along the rubberized walkway out of Thorn Park. Cheng Yanjin grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards a row of tenement buildings across the street, saying succinctly, "Go there."

The surrounding area consisted of old residential areas, with peeling paint on the exterior walls of the buildings. Rainwater and condensation from air conditioner units showed the marks of time. Lin Langyi was led around in circles for quite a while before finally arriving at their destination.

Cheng Yanjin casually placed one hand on her shoulder for support, bent down to change his shoes, and said, "Go up to the third floor, turn left, 307."

Lin Langyi was confused: "Where are we going? Where is this?"

Cheng Yanjin quickly changed his shoes, tossed his gym bag behind him, and gave her a strange look: "It's my house, what else?"

Lin Langyi meant it as a joke: "You live here? Are you tired of living in the villa or have you gone bankrupt?"

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yanjin remained silent for a long time, pretending to be an expert. When he reached the third floor and saw that Lin Langyi wouldn't leave without an explanation, he could only feign maturity and let out a deep sigh, his tone filled with sorrow:

“This is a house my mom bought before. When I was little, it was convenient for her to bring me here to play skateboarding in the park across the street. When I miss her, I come here by myself to stay for a few days.”

Lin Langyi was affected by his low spirits and didn't know how to comfort him. After a few seconds of silence, Cheng Yanjin unlocked the door and invited her in.

Lin Langyi suddenly realized something was wrong the moment she entered: "The extreme sports area was newly built after the renovation of Thorn Park. It wasn't there when you were a child."

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Yanjin swiftly pushed her into the room, then slid in behind her like an eel, before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Cheng Yanjin!"

He stood like a solid barrier blocking the entrance, smiling at Lin Langyi with an adorable, spring-like smile, and immediately uttered a cloying "Good sister~"

Lin Langyi glared at him coldly.

Cheng Yanjin chuckled and said, "It's like this, after my dad tried his best to bring us together, I changed my mind... no, I mean, after thinking it over, I wanted to postpone the wedding, so my credit card was suspended and I was kicked out, so I can only live here—"

Upon hearing this, Lin Langyi immediately went to open the door: "I don't dig for wild vegetables."

Cheng Yanjin wouldn't let her leave. She punched and kicked him several times, hitting his stomach and calves, but he remained unmoved. Only when she tiptoed over him to reach for the door lock did he grab her waist and lock her in place.

Lin Langyi raised her leg and kicked him between the legs.

Cheng Yanjin twisted his body and dodged, lifting her high with both hands and pressing her onto the sofa.

"I won't borrow money from you! I'm really impressed, look how anxious you are. The old man said that he can only unfreeze the card if you plead for me. Can you say a few good words for me? Just say that our relationship is great, but we've only been together a short time and a whirlwind marriage isn't good. But dating requires funds, so I'm asking him to release me."

Lin Langyi responded with a cold laugh and tried to scratch him again.

Cheng Yanjin's muscles were bulging, and when she pinched and twisted him, it was like a tickle. However, Lin Langyi's lack of cooperation was giving him a headache. But now that he needed her help, he had to be careful not to hurt her when he held her down.

He frowned: "You're so hard to hold down, you struggle even more than the pigs that are tied up and slaughtered at the village entrance during the New Year... Zhuzhu? I'll call you Little Pig Lin from now on."

Lin Langyi suddenly gasped, her wrist, which he had locked with one hand, stopped moving, her eyelashes drooping, and she looked as if she was about to cry.

Cheng Yanjin was startled by her suddenly reddened eyes and immediately let go, raising his hand to beg for mercy, his words tumbling out incoherently: "Hey, hey, why are you crying?"

Lin Langyi covered her face with her hands, shrinking into a ball. Cheng Yanjin panicked even more, leaning over to poke her lower back with his fingers to examine her, and said innocently, "I didn't use any force..."

He stood very close, trying to feel her condition by pulling at her hand. But Lin Langyi, who had been sobbing just a second ago, suddenly swung her elbow and struck his jaw with all her might.

He was completely unprepared, and his teeth struck his lip squarely, drawing blood.

He covered his mouth and whimpered as he backed away. Lin Langyi kicked him in the thigh again, and Cheng Yanjin groaned. He had no choice but to retreat further and get away from this ruthless woman.

"You probably didn't hear me carefully. I said I hate people who cause me trouble for no reason—"

Cheng Yanjin immediately said, "You help me act out the scene, come back with me for dinner, and I'll help you get through the crisis at Yingshan Lake."

Lin Langyi didn't believe him. She got up and left the sofa. Cheng Yanjin only had shares in Cheng's Group but didn't do any work. He didn't actually have any power. What could he do?

"Don't disbelieve me, I know that Brother Yu is setting up a spot electronic trading platform for bulk agricultural and forestry products. If I remember correctly, there has never been a pearl product listed on the bulk spot market. If you help me, I'll have him help you."

Lin Langyi suddenly stopped in her tracks. She remembered how attentive Yuan Chuyu had been during the core experimental area, and she slowly began to understand what was going on.

She looked at him with suspicion: "You think he'll agree?"

Cheng Yanjin licked the blood away, hissed and blew on it, muttered a few curses under his breath, and then said seriously, "I've known him since I was a child because our mothers were both... well... anyway, we were in the same boat. He's always been very good to me. When I ran away from home or had no money or food when I was a child, he took me in. He's even closer to me than a real brother."

"We had planned to go to Jinshaxi Island on Saturday. You can come with me, and I'll introduce you to Brother Yu. In return, you'll have to find a way to unfreeze my card after we get back, okay?"

Lin Lang pondered for a moment, then, remembering Yuan Chuyu's substantial family wealth and background, he felt a surge of excitement and finally nodded.

*

Jinshaxi Island is located southeast of Jianghu Lake. Although it is called an island, its actual area is not large. Before Jianghu Lake was fenced off and turned into a nature reserve, Yingyuan Group bought the abandoned academician and expert compound on the island and subsequently transformed it into a private resort area.

Lin Langyi stepped off the boat, feeling the soft, rustling texture of the "Golden Sands" beach beneath her feet. The enormous palm trees seemed to shut out the hustle and bustle of the world, and looking up, she could see the terraced mansions atop the cliff.

The scenery was beautiful, but she was in a terrible mood.

That bastard Cheng Yanjin tricked her onto the boat, then ran off with his cronies without a word, leaving only a message on WeChat saying "I'll be there later."

So when he said "introduce her to Yuan Chuyu," he meant sending her to her destination and then letting her fend for herself.

Lin Langyi frantically recalled the last pieces of information he had given her:

“Jinsha Mansion was just renovated and reopened the month before last. The house here was given to Brother Yu the year before last, and he changed the layout. We had been arguing about coming to move in, so we got together this time.”

"Everyone here today is from our generation. We usually get along well, so don't feel pressured."

Lin Langyi comforted herself, thinking that the atmosphere would be more relaxed since there were no elders around. If it really didn't work out, she could just be a silent quail and stay alone in a corner. In any case, if it didn't work out this time, she would try to make an appointment with Yuan Chuyu for another time.

She glanced up at Yuan Chuyu, who was personally leading the way, and the group of men and women surrounding him, slowly matching the names and faces in her mind.

"Welcome everyone, was the boat ride comfortable?" Yuan Pingran walked out of a pavilion with a smile, holding an umbrella.

Lin Langyi's expression twisted for a moment.

What happened to the promise that there were no elders?

The group greeted each other politely, and Lin Langyi hid behind them, like a little tail that was about to fall off.

The west side of Jinsha Mansion is lined with hotels open to the public. When Yuan Chuyu led his people in, the lobby staff came up to help with their luggage.

He twisted his wrist slightly, brought the suitcase closer to his legs, and said with a gentle smile, "I can do it myself. Let's see if anyone else needs it."

“Yes, let him carry it himself.” Yuan Pingran handed the umbrella to the doorman and, seeing that the bellhop was a woman in her thirties, said, “There’s no reason for a lady to carry a bag.”

"Aunt Yuan is so strict." Zhuang Lan, who had been clinging to Yuan Chuyu's left side, giggled and reached out to grab Yuan Chuyu's tiny black suitcase. "I'll help you carry it."

Yuan Chuyu was checking the room key in his hand. Without even lifting his eyelids, he turned his long legs apart, pressed his knees two inches to the side, and placed his suitcase between the front desk and his legs without moving it. His tone was still calm: "There is no reason for a lady to carry my bag."

He handed Zhuang Lan her room key: "Yours."

Zhuang Lan craned her neck to look at the remaining room cards, anxiously asking, "Where are you staying? Is it still the top floor? I want to stay there too!"

Yuan Chuyu distributed the room cards to the group. When he looked up, Yuan Pingran was still smiling at him. He lowered his eyes again with a normal expression and said lightly, "I'm not staying tonight. I have something to do with Yuan later."

"That's so boring..." On the other side, Chu Hong, the youngest son of the third son of the Chu family, sighed, "Cousin, you're so busy, I'm starting to doubt whether what the adults said about being free after the college entrance exam is really true."

"Since you're not taking the college entrance exam anyway, don't let your mind wander too wildly after you go abroad." Xiao Pucheng hooked his arm around Yuan Chuyu's neck while subtly separating Zhuang Lan from him, teasing Chu Hong, "You'll be considered filial if you just make your dad take less blood pressure medication."

Yuan Chuyu handed out the room cards he had reserved in advance to everyone, and Xiao Pucheng also helped. While helping, he smiled at Yuan Pingran and said, "Aunt Yuan, aren't you going for oxygen therapy? You finally got out to get some fresh air, so don't waste your time on us juniors. Ayu and I are here."

Yuan Pingran glanced lightly at Yuan Chuyu, then shifted her gaze to Zhuang Lan, before finally looking back at Yuan Chuyu and raising an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing that the other person was calmly looking at her, Yuan Pingran looked away, smiled, nodded and said, "Of course I'm at ease with you here. Then I'll be going now... Xiao Yu, please take good care of him."

Yuan Chuyu nodded.

Lin Langyi, watching from behind, found it all quite strange. She had seen many children from wealthy families, but few were as hands-on as Yuan Chuyu, whose emotions were so stable that he seemed to have no temper at all. It was as if he wasn't a noble young master from a golden family, but just an ordinary person.

When the room cards were distributed to the last few, Lin Langyi originally wanted to take this opportunity to greet him first. However, when Yuan Chuyu had three or four room cards left, he collected the remaining room cards and handed them all to Xiao Pucheng: "Thank you for your help."

Lin Langyi was taken aback. When Xiao Pucheng handed her the room cards, there were two cards: one was hers and the other was Cheng Yanjin's.

Xiao Pucheng looked her up and down with his round eyes, and smiled wickedly: "Miss Lin, Jin Gou... no, Cheng Yanjin, where did he go? It's his first time here, why doesn't he spend time with the girl and leave you all alone in this unfamiliar place?"

Lin Langyi pursed her lips, looking aggrieved: "He was called away by a phone call and was told to come later."

Xiao Pucheng clicked his tongue for a while, his face already showing an "I knew it" expression, but he comforted her: "That's just his temper. I've known him and Ayu since we were very young. He's just playful and doesn't mean any harm. You...you mustn't be sad. He never used to bring girls out. You're different. He just called Ayu and asked him to take good care of you."

Lin Langyi blinked and lied through her teeth: "Yeah, he also told me that Yuan... Brother Yu is my brother, and that I should just follow him because he's the most reliable."

Xiao Pucheng nodded in agreement and led her directly to Yuan Chuyu: "Here you go, the one entrusted by the White Emperor, the one from the Jin family."

Yuan Chuyu's gaze lingered on her face for a fleeting moment, as lifeless as a block of ice gliding across a mirror, as calm as if she were a transparent person.

He simply nodded slightly, maintaining a social distance of two or three steps between them, and said softly, "Hello."

Lin Langyi felt confused, as if an invisible, heavy wall had suddenly appeared between Yuan Chuyu and her. She didn't know why, but he was supposed to be a gentleman who treated others with proper manners, yet he suddenly became more distant from her than a stranger, and more avoidant than when they first met.

What happened? She died before she even got to start her mission, and she hadn't even opened her mouth yet!

But if he takes a step back, she has to take a step forward. This is a big investor, and she has experience in securing investment.

First, you need to naturally and easily get closer to the target person.

Lin Langyi pretended not to notice his deliberate coldness, smiled at him with her eyes crinkling, and called out in a clear voice, "Brother Yu."

His eyelashes trembled quickly and slightly, his eyelids drooped, and he avoided her smile.

She held up the bag in her hand and handed it over, her voice sweet as honey: "I washed the tie you got dirty last time and brought it to you."